12 x 12 April 2018 Featured Author – Tara Luebbe

Thank you, Julie and Kelli, for asking me to be the featured author this month. I’m a bit verklempt. I am currently in “launch season” as I see my first two picture books, I AM FAMOUS and SHARK NATE-O, off into the world. I have been very lucky in my writing journey in that I got here fairly quickly. I began writing picture books in late 2014, knowing nothing about the craft, and sold six books in two years. How did this happen? Did the picture book gods just smile down upon me? Although luck and timing are a big part of it, I don’t want to trivialize how hard I worked, and there are two things I feel I did especially well.

I found great critique partners.

I realized as soon as I began writing that I needed a great critique group. I found mine through 12 x 12. Everyone should have a small core group that you can count on to be honest and tough and make you a better writer. It may take some trial and error to find the right people, but you need to find them. I handpicked six 12 x 12 members to form a private group. I searched the forum for people who were good critiquers and wrote similar things to me. This group has worked out amazingly well. We have been together for two years now and I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost them. So, if you are not in a solid critique group, join one or create your own. Don’t wait. It is essential in this crazy business of ups and downs to have “your people.”

My retail background gave me an in-depth understanding of marketability, and I believe that substantially reduced my time in the trenches. Marketability is not talked about enough in picture book writing circles, yet it is the most important piece of any manuscript. We all know how hard it is to get through the formidable acquisitions meetings. Even if the editor loves your manuscript, she/he has to convince the sales and marketing team, which is the toughest part. Sometimes we need a reminder that this is a business, and books need to actually sell once they are published. If your manuscript is not marketable, you decrease your chances of ever getting through acquisitions.

I would like to challenge you all. After you write a draft, evaluate it for marketability before spending too much valuable time revising an idea that will go nowhere. Who is the audience for this book? You should be able to identify a clear customer base. Why is your book worth printing? What does it bring to the market that does not already exist? Does it fill a market void? Does it zoom in on a little-known subject? Does it put a fresh, new spin on an evergreen topic? Does it have great humor? What is the hook? Envision your cover. Would you pick it up off the shelf? Why would a retailer choose to purchase your book for their store over thousands of others? Can you give it a high concept title? If you don’t have marketability in the story, can you go back and add it? (I wrote a more in-depth piece for Storystorm Day 21, if you want more information on this https://taralazar.com/2018/01/21/storystorm-2018-day-21-tara-luebbe/

I am going to put on my marketing goggles and dissect my book, SHARK NATE-O as an example.

Is this a marketable topic? Sharks are a kid-friendly, favorite subject. And both kids and adults (the picture book buyers) are fascinated by them. Shark Week anyone?

Why is this book different? After reading every single shark picture book ever printed, I was happy to see that none dealt with learning to swim. Also in my research, I also discovered there weren’t a lot of books about learning to swim in general, so the market was not saturated with that subject. By combining a kid-relatable experience, learning to swim, with an evergreen topic, sharks, I had a winner. SHARK NATE-O also has a swim team theme, which is rare in picture books, even though lots of children either participate in this sport or have older siblings who do—an added bonus!

Who is the audience for this book? SHARK NATE-O appeals to children who are afraid to swim or are learning to swim, children on or around swim teams and kids who simply love sharks. I made sure it contained plenty of facts for the shark lovers, and added a nonfiction spread to make it educational, which will also make it appealing to aquarium gift shops. I also kept my audience in mind when picking shark facts for the back matter and tried to find some that were not in other shark-themed books. As a parent of a kid who had a major shark phase, I know the drill of checking out every single shark book to feed the obsession. I wanted to bring something new to the shark book business.

Does it have a catchy title? With the popularity of the Sharknado movies, SHARK NATE-O fits right in with pop culture and gives me an instant marketing hook. The title alone will attract people who love the movies, mostly adults; and with the obvious shark reference in the title, it will also appeal to kids who’ve never heard of the movies. This combination of sharks and pop culture will also be good for retailers.

So there is a peek into what went through my brain when writing SHARK NATE-O and why it was a manuscript I believed had merit enough to keep working on.

One more thing I learned from experience: marketability is also subjective. To me, SHARK NATE-O was highly marketable, but I had agents who didn’t agree and didn’t want to send it out. And I had an agent critique SHARK NATE-O positively, but ask, “Why this name? Are you trying to rhyme with tornado for some reason?” I knew that agent was not pop culture savvy, so she was probably not the best fit to sell this story. I also had an agent who did not like I AM FAMOUS and did not see its marketability. Obviously, I found a great agent who recognized the potential in both books. So, you may have the most marketable story in the world, but you will still have to deal with subjectivity. But I can assure you that a story with low marketability is a losing battle.

When you finish a great draft, put your marketing goggles on and evaluate it for its ability to sell before spending too much time doing revisions. And critique partners, don’t be afraid to call out this important attribute! I have been there, where you don’t want to crush someone by telling them this idea is not good enough to sell. But in the long run you are doing them a service by saving them months of time refining a book that won’t sell when they could be working on something that will. You can add marketability to a story, but only if you are aware that it is missing. In picture books, concept really is king.

So with an honest, supportive critique group and a solid understanding of marketability, you will be armed with the two most important tools to succeed as a professional children’s writer. And may the picture books gods always smile upon you!

Tara Luebbe is a former children’s boutique and bookstore owner turned picture book author. She co-writes with her sister Becky Cattie. They are the authors of I AM FAMOUS, illustrated by Joanne Lew Vriethoff, (Albert Whitman 2018); SHARK NATE-O, illustrated by Daniel Duncan, (little bee books April 3, 2018); I USED TO BE FAMOUS, illustrated by Joanne Lew Vriethoff (Albert Whitman Spring 2019); OPERATION PHOTOBOMB (Albert Whitman 2019), CONAN THE LIBRARIAN (Roaring Brook Press Spring 2020). She is also the founder of Writing with the Stars, a free mentorship program for aspiring picture book writers. She is represented by Tracy Marchcini of Bookends Literary. You can learn more at beckytarabooks.com and you can find her on Twitter @t_luebbe.

12 x 12 Members! We will have two winners this month. Tara is giving away a copy of I AM FAMOUS and a copy of SHARK NATE-O to lucky people. So get those drafts written and revised for the most chances to win!

I had a critique with an agent who told me My MS was highly marketable. It was a shock to me as I had been oblivious to marketability, but you are so right. We are writing stories, but they are eventually a product for sale to our readers. That agent opened my eyes.

Excellent post, Tara! A big, well-deserved congratulations on your first two fabulous books, as well as those in the pipeline–can’t wait to see them all on (and flying off) bookstore shelves, both of the wooden and virtual variety!

What a wonderful post. I agree marketability of your story must be considered and I also agree it’s subjective. But I never know if I’m told my story isn’t strong enough in today’s market, if that’s subjective or not!

Congratulations on your success! I’m looking forward to reading your books. And just to support what you said about critique groups–an agent told me that she always asks potential clients if they’re members of a group before signing them. That’s how important she believes critique groups are.

Such great info here! I will admit that I don’t think about marketability enough. By which I mean, ever. Thanks for the reminder, especially about not spending too much time on revising ideas that will never sell.

Tara, Loved your comments on Storystorm (starred and highlighted them in my notebook!), and now you’ve added even more good info here. Thinking about marketing makes so much sense, and testing an idea before spending loads of time on it, with a look at marketability, is something I am now trying to do! Love the step by step look at Shark Nate-O!! Adding a critique group is next up on my priority list, after reading this. Thanks so much for sharing all your insights. Wishing you continued success.

I, too, couldn’t live without my critique groups! Great practical thoughts on marketability. Can’t ignore that part of the writing process. Congrats on your books and I looked forward to reading them. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for sharing this valuable information. Marketing is a critical part of this business that I haven’t thought much about. You have provided some great insight. I also appreciated hearing about how you found your critique group. Have a great day. Your new books look fun.

Interesting post, Tara. Critique groups are wonderful when you have the right one! Marketability we have to think about –maybe a visit to the children’s section of my local book store is in order! Of course, being around little ones is an added plus! They have great insights!

Thank-you! These are both such important aspects to keep in mind. And the help of critique partners is key in identifying marketability – what seems marketable to someone who has spent loads of time living with a book is not necessarily marketable in the world. We need honest reactions to help make our books better. Fabulous advice!

Thank you, Tara, for sharing your experience and insights. I found the marketing googles part–dissecting the marketing approaches you followed–especially helpful. Best wishes in launch season and your future writing!

Thanks for this post that really lays it all out. I totally agree with you on the importance of critique groups and why marketability is important. I’d be lost without my groups. And now a few of us have books coming out soon and we’ve formed a marketing group to support each other as we go forward.

This is a really helpful post. It is important to think about marketability, although I’m not sure I have a feeling for what’s marketable and what’s not. I know what books I like (my own and other peoples) and as an early childhood teacher for 16 years , I have a sense of what 3-6 year olds like. That’s, maybe, a good place to start! Thank you for focussing on this important part of writing.

This was an extremely helpful post – I really appreciate and value the insight here. I love that you write the first draft and then look for marketability. I had heard to write the hook first but oftentimes I don’t know what I am writing until it is on the paper. This seems like valuable advice that I can follow. Thank you!

Great post. Marketability is something I am still trying to figure out. I feel like we newbies need more resources about this. It’s one thing to know what kind of stories you like to tell; it’s another to know what kind of stories will sell.

I was a “closeted” writer before joining a critique group. Joining a critique group was, by far, the best thing I’ve done in my writing career so far. I have not been quite as focused on the marketability of my manuscripts, but ever since your StoryStorm post, I have been thinking more and more about it. Thank you so much for the advice!

Tara this post is so useful! Great to hear how valuable you found 12 x 12 and your critique group and I found your comments about marketability and your example so helpful. Thank you for sharing and best of luck with your future writing – Pauline

Thanks Tara for this post … now I have to match previous advice about writing stories that “you” want to write, with looking for the marketability within that story. I know I’ll find this tricky to do … but it’s also about letting go of a draft of something that you might be initially excited about, but if it’s not sellable then you have to drop it!

In today’s tough market, these insights are invaluable. My background is in advertising and marketing, but I probably don’t use enough of my hard-earned knowledge in these fields in my children’s writing. Thanks for the reminder!

Some great things to think about, Tara. I, for one, have spent far too much time on manuscripts that never will sell due to marketability factors. Your post is a wonderful reminder of that most important aspect of picture book, or any, publishing.

Sage and timely advice. The critique group is essential and a well-communicated necessity. The need to think about the marketability of your draft before moving further in revisions is a great idea. While I think I thought about this in general with my drafts, I’ve never taken the time to sit down and write out a basic market eval. Thank you for sharing this helpful and timely suggestion with us!

I especially liked the part about the subjectivity of marketability and finding the right agent who will believe in you. With over 326 million people in the US, there are many types of markets. It’s important to know who you are writing for. This informs how to best connect with critique partners, agents and publishers. When you are with the wrong group, you can spin your wheels trying to make your stories marketable to the wrong market. My key take away is that I need to find my right critique group who also understand my market arena.

Thanks, Tara – wise words. The marketability factor can be a tough needle to thread – believing in your work, without being blind to the market, constructively processing feedback from the industry in the face of its subjectivity. Congratulations on your success! Looking forward to seeing your books.

WOW…loved learning so much about your writing journey…and getting an inside peek into how you determined the marketability of your stories! Many great takeaways that will be valuable as I move forward. Thanks so much, Tara!

Thank you Tara for these tips. Considering the marketability of a manuscript is something that I haven’t considered in the detailed way you described for your book. I love the titles – something else I need to work on. Thank goodness for critique groups!

Thank you so much Tara for a very insightful post! I can’t wait to go back through my manuscripts with my “marketing goggles” on! It is a great reminder to always be thinking about the marketing/business end of PB writing – in addition to the creative! Congratulations on all of your success – I can’t wait to read all of your books!

Is it Shark Week already?! Congratulations again, and thanks for the great advice! Looking at marketability- and doing the research- are key steps, and it’s so valuable to have knowledgeable, honest critique partners give perspective on which drafts should make the cut.

What a great post! I think we all forget about focusing on the business of books. This was inspirational, as it encourages us to be creative with a focus. I just picked up I AM FAMOUS from the library today! Can’t wait to read Shark-Nate-O, as well! Well done with your career! Congrats!

Hi Tara! Loved reading your post and loved seeing I AM FAMOUS in the STAR this weekend. You’re on fire and I’m so happy for you. Thanks for the great insights on marketability. Will be reviewing some manuscripts this month using your formula.

Thanks for sharing that even with strong marketability a book might not connect with an agent. You are so right about including unique facts in the backmatter. Readers obsessed with a topic really need that. Congratulations!

Tara, Congratulations on your 2 soon to be published books. I owned a business and yes marketability is everything. I”m not sure how to assess the MS I am working on, but i will start keeping that in mind as I choose a subject, title and back matter.

Tara, thank you for this on-point article. As I navigate the writing world, I am learning that your critique group can be your lifesaver or a hole in the bottom of your boat, depending on whom you choose. I agree that marketability is crucial, but many of us also have “quiet” or themed stories that may resonate with a smaller readership but be important for us to share with the world. Thanks for your insights.

Excellent post, Tara. You’ve really got me thinking about marketability and I also love the advice about factoring that in after the first draft, rather than spending oodles of time on something that may never sell.

Thanks Tara and congratulations on your books! I appreciate your thoughts on marketability. This is an important aspect of a ms to consider before investing too much time and effort. I also want to say three cheers for critique partners. They are the best!

Thank you for such a great post, Tara. I haven’t really thought about marketability this much when writing but now I certainly will. It definitely will help to think of this before you get too attached to an idea! Congrats on your books!

Tara, this post is everything!! Thank you so much for the time you put into it. Seeing the example of how you applied your marketability considerations to your own work is extremely helpful. I’ll be applying this to early drafts as well as using it as a springboard in the brainstorming process. Thanks!!!

Thanks for the great advice. It was helpful to see you explain your own work from that standpoint. I will definitely remember to do that with my stories in the future. Best wishes on your book launches!

You’ve made an important point about marketability and subjectivity, Tara. After reading this I realized I’ve been writing and submitting stories that I hope will attract an agent or editor. I wasn’t thinking enough ahead for acquisitions and how the book will attract buyers. This makes me realize I need to re-examine some of my manuscripts before revising and wasting my time and a new understanding of why I haven’t sold any of my manuscripts or attracted an agent yet. But I’ll carry on with this new knowledge aiming to write a marketable manuscript. Thank you for this eye-opening advice, Tara!

Thanks Tara! I think we do need to think more about marketability. I will take that into account on all future drafts. And YES to critique groups! I started my own last year and they are awesome! It would be a lonely journey without my critique buddies.

I’m so excited to see this post for a couple of reasons. First, I’m a big fan of Tara and her inspiring efforts to give back to this community (with the WWTS contest, for example). Second, marketability is something I’m very focused on right now and Tara’s advice comes at the perfect time. I will be reading and re-reading this post as I try to evaluate my work for commercial hooks and sales potential. It’s not something I’m used to doing, so I really appreciate the advice. Third, I AM FAMOUS and SHARK NATE-O will be arriving on my doorstep this week. So, Congratulations and Thank you, Tara!

Congratulations Tara! I wish we could all take a marketing class from you! We always hear about the importance of great critique partners but we rarely discuss marketability. Thanks for touching on the subject of selling potential.

Tara, I am excited for you and all you have accomplished in your new career as book writer, not just book seller. Thank you so much for your insight into figuring out marketability for our drafts, this is HUGE help!

Marketability . . . such a scary concept! Your advice reminds me a little bit of what Simon Cowell used to say on “America’s Got Talent” when he would practically eviscerate a contestant and cause the audience to gasp. When his fellow judges would call him on his cruelty, he often replied that he was saving the contestant years of striving for something (say, a singing career) for which they possessed absolutely no talent. Our little manuscripts and ideas are our little babies – it’s hard to cut them loose when they aren’t working, but your advice is really practical. Thanks for reminding us of this all-important component.

Thank you, Tara for your post. Critique groups are essential. Marketing is one aspect that doesn’t get enough focus especially considering its importance to getting any book published. Thank you for your thoughts on that and for all you give back to the writing community in form of Writing For The Stars mentorship opportunities.

This post SCREAMED at me! I literally had this discussion with my AMAZING 12×12 critique partners 5 minutes ago! Concept and marketability are paramount, critique partners are worth their weight in platinum, gold, diamonds, rubies- everything! Yes, yes, yes, to all of the above!

Thanks, Tara, for approaching the serious sides of writing and doing a great presentation. We get so hung up on the writing and the entire process, we neglect the outside world of writing which deals with the business side. This is so relevant and mind blowing.

I have been working so hard on something for years. Pretty sure I have to find the ONE person who will like it. The marketability is needing work. But I felt compelled to get it done. Now I tweak here and there, but I get to move on to other stories. Now that I have read this, I will try and remind myself to keep thinking about my target audience and what is already available to them:) Thanks so much

Thanks for this valuable information Tara. These are important things to keep in mind. I wrestle with the question of each manuscript I write, whether or not it’s really worth spending time on in terms of marketability. I would love to see you do a webinar on this!

Concept is king! Yes! Thank you for reminding us how important marketability is and for giving us some great questions to help us evaluate our own manuscripts. Like most people, my time is limited and I can’t afford to waste it on manuscripts that won’t sell. Thanks for the excellent post, Tara!

Thank you, Tara! You are quite right that agents and publishers want to promote books that are marketable. As authors, we write books that inspire us and come from our hearts. We need to keep marketability in mind as well.

Tara, thank you for these valuable insights. I will benefit from your process in accessing marketability. Thank you! I agree with you that finding the right combination of people in a critique group is so important. We all need to have partners that push us to the next level and have us rethink our stories.

What a Great Post and advise to help focus on not only what is true to you but also to keep in mind what is true to the world. It is an ugly fact that this is a business, and the greatest literature written will usually not be published unless it can make a profit for the publisher.

Marketing. The thing that I am the absolute worst at. And not sure that my critique group is any more in tune with the marketplace than I am. Hmmm. What to do….thanks for a post that will keep me thinking!

Thanks for your marketability report for Shark-Nate-O, Tara. It’s always a treat to peek into the mind of an author. If you see this, I would love to know how your query letter covered your thoughts on marketability. I’m guessing you condensed it all down to one or two sentences, including comp titles. Sharing how you handled the query letter would be a great add-on to this info if you present this topic in person at a conference. 🙂

I love that you mention how important a catchy title is. A title holds a lot of weight, as it has to stand alone, but also represent what your book is about, even without cover imagery if were seen in a list of other books. It has to pique interest and contain meaning at the same time! Thank you for this lovely post.

Thanks for sharing your story, and for the great tips. I work in advertising, so I get the marketability aspect, but it’s a good reminder. You and your sister (and your critique group) have a wonderful thing going! Congrats!

This article really hit me… I am NOT a marketing genius… but I totally see how being aware of the market and being smart about your presentation got your books out there! I am definitely taking notes for the future! Thank you for sharing!

I agree: absolutely necessary to having great critique partners! As is remembering that your book needs to be marketed after you write it, and that keeping that in mind when starting projects is a great nugget of advice. Thanks, Tara!

Thank you for sharing your marketability tips with us. Some are really great ideas I hadn’t thought of before. I also enjoyed reading your storystorm post this year. I also love that you write with your sister and that you push the envelope in the critique setting. It’s good to see others that value the cold hard truth. Best of luck in your writing adventure.

Thank you for giving us a glimpse of your process and a handy way to evaluate whether or not a manuscript can actually turn into a successful book. Congratulations on all of your purchased manuscripts, looking forward to reading them all!

I love your marketing insights! I put them into the research section of scrivener for all my WIP’s so that whenever I make changes, I can remember to look at marketing hooks again. Thanks for your tips!

Tara, Congratulations on your rapid success in the publishing world. Thanks for all the information and tips on marketing our manuscripts. I’m not in a critique group yet but you’ve convinced me that i need to be. That will be my next mission. Thanks for such a useful post.

I’ve read your post several times over, Tara and taken some notes 🙂 As a former Marketeer, I’m looking forward to the day when I can finally market the heck out of my own picture books. Until then, I’ll make doubly sure that what I’m creating is marketable as well. Thanks!

Great tips and advice for what to think about during that first draft. I’m sure with practice it becomes second nature, but at the beginning, I think I might need to set a reminder for myself to add that in during revisions.

Tara, congratulations on your new books and thanks for this excellent post. I really liked reading about your process in determining the marketability of Shark-Nate-O. I also appreciate the reminder on re-examining books for marketability. I’m inspired to re-examine several of mine now. Keep up the great writing!

First of all, “Good luck and best wishes!” with the launch of your books. AND “Thank you!” for taking the time to give the in depth analysis of the marketability of one of your own books. The example of your thought process was extremely helpful.

It was a pleasure reading your blog and examining the benefits of a critique group and look at marketability. Your blog has already influenced the manuscripts I am honing in on right now. Thinking through marketability has been a stimulating and helpful exercise. Thank you for your detailed insight, and congratulations on your new books!

Congratulations, Tara, for your quick success. After reading your post, I recognized how your success was built on a strong foundation. Thank you for sharing your writing journey and providing very useful specific information to help us all grow as professional authors. I was especially intrigued by your catchy book titles and how you considered marketability. Also, your post revealed your perseverance to find a critique group and an agent who could embrace your vision, give you sound advice, and promote your books with enthusiasm. I am curious to know more about how you wrote your query letter to potential agents. Did you share information about several of your books and their potential marketability? Please share where I might find out this information. Thanks again for an excellent blog post. Very inspiring!

I think you’re the first person I’ve heard speak so honestly about thinking through marketability during the earlier phase (editing, story concepting). You did a superb job of explaining why it matters, and saves the heartache of overspending time on a manuscript that you might fall in love with, but just doesn’t have a place in the market. Thanks!

First of all, CONGRATS!!!! How fantastic:) I really appreciate the theme and honesty of your post! It was great to get the play-by-play of your marketability analysis–super helpful! I can’t wait to read these books! (Tara, I also love that you did this with your sister!)

Tara, what an amazing post!! Thank you so much for all these amazing tips. And, may I suggest a course on marketability might be very successful? *hint, hint* Thank you, also, for having the courage to write. I am especially looking forward to getting Shark-Nate-o for my little five year old. He loves the idea of swimming, loves sharks even more, but we have not been very successful with the swimming part 😉 Thank you for everything, and happy writing!

Totally with you on the importance of critique groups!!! I have 2, one I found through 12×12 and one through SCBWI. Love both of them. I never fully understood before why people thank their critique books in the front of their books… well, I do now. Good luck with your books!

Thanks for the wonderful information. It always helps to have a published author give insight into what has made them successful. I’ve, fortunately, found a wonderful critique group. It really opens your eyes to what you, perhaps, have overlooked to make your book successful.

Great post. As a retired librarian, I translate”marketability” to “readability” in the sense that I think about the patrons who will love this book. I do struggle with the concept of strict marketability as it seems that there are real gaps in because of this concept. There are readers who are not being served, who are not finding books written for them because they aren’t interested in those that cater to the tastes of the masses. In the past, the authors of such books were called “mid-list” authors. There was a solid demand from readers for their books. But with the emphasis on only publishing books that are going bring in buckets of money, these authors are getting squeezed out of the mix and the readers who loved their books are the biggest losers. I realize publishing is a business and that money must be made. But these authors brought in a respectable amount of profit and did not lose money for the company, just not best-seller levels. It seems to me there should be a place within the industry for all authors and books coming out for all readers, not just the majority while forgetting the rest.

Great Post! Marketability is something I hadn’t really though of a ton until about a year ago. Titles however, I love to do and stew over them for months until I find just the right tone for the book. Congrats on your continued success!

I absolutely love this interview! Tara did a fabulous job of breaking down how an author should view the marketability of his/her prospective book. She shared some very unique ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of. I can’t wait to read her books!

Thank you Tara for sharing such a wealth of information. Yet another great layer to added to the info publishing mind bank. I will be forever be looking for great critique partners and marketability for all future manuscripts. Thank you again!

Thank you, Tara, for some very valuable advice! I really appreciate the way you broke down the marketability aspect of a book and used the example of your own story, Shark-Nate-O. I will definitely be using this perspective on my own work.

I love your article. Being one your first critique partners, I saw Shark Nato when he was just a baby. Congratulations on all you success, I wish we were still critique buddies. But lots of luck to you now and always.

Hi Tara- I’m late to the comment party here, but just want to say I’m so happy to have you as a crit partner, woot! I am over the moon to see drafts I had the privelege of reading early on be made into books! Congrats!